
Open-source semi-humanoid dev kit → home data → autonomy → 20h/wk
Vassar Robotics is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.
Open-source semi-humanoid dev kit → home data → autonomy → 20h/wk
Gearbox-driven robot arm joints introduce backlash, stiction, speed limits, and wear drift, which get baked into every training demonstration and corrupt sim-to-real transfer for robot learning.
Vassar Robotics builds transverse-flux direct-drive motors that put torque directly at the joint, removing the gearbox from robot arms entirely.
They claim a torque density target of roughly 6-10x a typical radial-flux motor in the same envelope, with a working prototype already delivering 3 N·m at 500 RPM in a ~60mm joint envelope.
Founded by Charles Yong, the company sells Navrim, a $219 open-source robot arm that can be taught new skills via teleoperation.
Free to use in articles, research, and reference works. Stable URL, will not change. Data on this page last updated August 26, 2026.